Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell has questioned why Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein felt it necessary to proposition young actresses when plenty of women were attracted to his power.

Ms Bushnell, who developed the comedy TV series from her weekly column in the New York Times, claimed in the 1990s she thought the film executive was comparable to Roald Dahl's creation Augustus Gloop, the unfortunate child in Charlie and the Chocolate factory whose greed led to his eventual sticky demise.

Writing in the New York Times, she described Weinstein in a most uncomplimentary fashion: 'He was a rolling ball of outsized bad habits. He smoked cigarette after cigarette, appeared to consume drink after drink. He was spitting, he was swearing. You had the feeling you didn’t want to p*** him off.'

Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell, pictured, questioned why Harvey Weinstein needed to harass women when there were plenty who were willing to be seduced by his power

Weinstein, pictured last month in New York, has strongly denied any allegations he had 'non-consensual' contact with any of the complainants

One of Ms Bushnell's female friends once told her why she had consensual sex with a man with 'flesh was so pockmarked, it appeared as if chewed by a wild beast'.

Her friend claimed Weinstein described her as 'smart' and 'beautiful'. The friend later revealed that despite his challenging appearance he was still 'sexy' in some bizarre fashion. He later bought her an Apple computer and gave her $30,000 to work on a screen play.

She asked: 'Why harass all those women who don’t want to have sex with you when there are women who do, for whatever bizarre and personal and perhaps desperate reason.'

McGowan's accusation was the latest development in the fast-unraveling saga surrounding Weinstein.

Police detectives in New York and London said Thursday that they are taking a fresh look into sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein now that some 30 women have accused the Hollywood film producer of inappropriate conduct.

The New York Times earlier reported that Weinstein paid a financial settlement of $100,000 to McGowan in 1997 after an episode at a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

Some of the allegations involved conduct at hotels in Beverly Hills, but police there didn't return calls on whether they were investigating any possible crimes. The Los Angeles Police Department has no open investigations.

Detectives in the NYPD's special victims unit were instructed to identify and speak with any potential victims, including the women who spoke about their encounters with Weinstein in the New Yorker article, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Under New York law, making someone engage in oral sex by physical force or the threat of it is a first-degree criminal sexual act. There's no legal time limit for bringing charges.

New York detectives already investigated Weinstein once, the 2015 probe when an Italian model said the studio executive grabbed her breasts and groped her. Detectives set up a sting where they recorded a conversation between the woman and Weinstein while he tried to persuade her to come into his hotel room.

From A-list stars to budding actresses: The women who accuse Harvey Weinstein of rape and sexual harassment during his two decade reign of terror in Hollywood

Many were young, powerless and afraid to speak out in case their careers were ruined.

For nearly three decades their accusations remained bottled up, some suppressed by pay-offs.

More than 30 women have now come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, the man once described as 'God' of the film industry.

The accusations, including from some of the world's most famous actresses, range from inappropriate massages to rape.

Here is a list of those who have come forward so far.

Kate Beckinsale In an Instagram post the Underworld star said Weinstein made a move on her when she was just 17.

'When I arrived reception told me to go to his room. He opened the door in his bathrobe. I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him. After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left, uneasy but unscathed. A few years later he asked me if he had tried anything with me in that first meeting.I realized he couldn't remember if he had assaulted me or not.'

Teen assault: Kate Beckinsale says Weinstein tried to ply her with alcohol and met her in his bathrobe when she was just 17

Gwyneth Paltrow

The star said that when she was 22, Weinstein touched her and suggested having joint massages in a hotel bedroom before she started shooting the 1996 Jane Austen adaptation Emma. She told the New York Times: 'I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified'.

Paltrow (pictured with Weinstein in 2002) told the New York Times that when she was 22 Weinstein touched her and suggested having joint massages in the bedroom

She said she told her then boyfriend Brad Pitt about the incident and he confronted the mogul. She said Weinstein then told her not to tell anyone and she feared getting fired.

Gwyneth Paltrow, 45, is an American actress, singer, and food writer who made her name starring in Seven (1995) and Emma (1996).

Angelina Jolie

The actress told the New York Times she had to turn down advances from Weinstein in 1998 and chose never to work with him again. She said she warned other women about him.

She said: 'I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did.'

Angelina Jolie, 42, is cited as Hollywood's highest-paid actress. She made her screen debut as a child alongside her father, Jon Voight, in Lookin' to Get Out (1982).

Jolie (pictured speaking ahead of a screening of her new film In the Land of Blood and Honey) told the New York Times she had to turn down advances from Weinstein in 1998

Cara Delevigne

The model wrote on her Instagram page about a meeting with Weinstein in which he 'asked her to kiss another woman.'

She wrote: 'As soon as we were alone he began to brag about all the actresses he had slept with and how he had made their careers and spoke about other inappropriate things of a sexual nature. He then invited me to his room. I quickly declined and asked his assistant if my car was outside. She said it wasn't and wouldn't be for a bit and I should go to his room.

Delevigne wrote on her Instagram page about a meeting with Weinstein in which he 'asked her to kiss another woman.'

'At that moment I felt very powerless and scared but didn't want to act that way hoping that I was wrong about the situation. When I arrived I was relieved to find another woman in his room and thought immediately I was safe. He asked us to kiss and she began some sort of advances upon his direction. I swiftly got up and asked him if he knew that I could sing. And I began to sing....i thought it would make the situation better....more professional....like an audition....i was so nervous. After singing I said again that I had to leave.He walked me to the door and stood in front of it and tried to kiss me on the lips. I stopped him and managed to get out of the room'.

Cara Delevigne, 25, is an English fashion model and actress. She signed with Storm Model Management after leaving school in 2009.

Lea Seydoux

The French actress accused the mogul of jumping on her and trying to kiss her.

She wrote in The Guardian: 'We were talking on the sofa when he suddenly jumped on me and tried to kiss me. I had to defend myself. He’s big and fat, so I had to be forceful to resist him. He tried more than once. This was never going to be about work. He had other intentions – I could see that very clearly. All throughout the evening, he flirted and stared at me as if I was a piece of meat.

The French actress (pictured in Spectre) accused the mogul of jumping on her and trying to kiss her

'It was hard to say no because he’s so powerful. I’m an actress and he’s a producer. We are in the same industry, so its impossible to avoid him. I’ve seen how he operates: the way he looks for an opening. The way he tests women to see what he can get away with. That’s the most disgusting thing. Everyone knew what Harvey was up to and no one did anything. It's unbelievable that he’s been able to act like this for decades and still keep his career.'

Lea Seydoux, 35, starred in Bond film Spectre and was nominated for the César Award for Best Actress for her role as a lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette in the film Farewell, My Queen (2012).

Asia Argento

The Italian actress has accused Weinstein of forcibly performing oral sex on her when she was 21.

Asia Argento (left with Weinstein during 2004 Cannes Film Festival) accused Weinstein of forcibly performing oral sex on her when she was 21

She told the New Yorker: 'He terrified me, and he was big. It wouldn't stop. It was a nightmare.' She said she went on to have consensual sex with him over the years that followed. She documented the alleged attack in her 2000 film Scarlet Diva.

Asia Argento is an Italian actress, singer, model, and director, best known for the role of Yelena in the action film xXx (2002).

Zoe Brock

Model Zoë Brock was 23 when she allegedly had to lock herself in a hotel bathroom to escape Weinstein's advances.

She wrote on Medium: 'Harvey left the room, but not for long. He re-emerged naked a couple of minutes later and asked if I would give him a massage. Panicking, in shock, I remember weighing up the options and wondering how much I needed to placate him to keep myself safe.

Model Zoë Brock was 23 when she allegedly had to lock herself in a hotel bathroom to escape Weinstein's advances

'I told him I was uncomfortable and that I was angry that I had been tricked into this position. He pleaded with me to let him massage me and I let him put his hands on my shoulders while my mind raced. Harvey chased me, d**k, b**ls and all, and banged on the door with his fists, pleading with me to come out.'

Zoe Brock is a model and actress who was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and raised in Australia.

Louisette Geiss

The actress said she was called to a late night meeting with Weinstein in 2008. He allegedly emerged in a bathrobe and told her he would green light her script if she watched him masterbate. She left the meeting.

Geiss made her accusations in a press conference with high-profile attorney Gloria Allred on October 10.

The star was born in Miami, Florida. She is an actress and producer, best known for Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell (2001).

Geiss was called to a late night meeting with Weinstein in 2008. He allegedly emerged in a bathrobe

Judith Godreche

The French actress says Weinstein tried to massage her and pull off her sweater after asking her up to his Cannes suite to see the view in 1996, the NYT reported.

Judith Godrèche, 45, is a French actress and author. She has appeared in more than 30 films and will soon star in an HBO comedy about a French woman moving to Los Angeles.

Judith Godreche (pictured at the premiere of Nasty Baby in 2015) says Weinstein tried to massage her and pull off her sweater after asking her up to his Cannes suite to see the view in 1996

Dawn Dunning

The actress says she was called to a meeting about future film projects in 2003 aged 24. When she arrived she says Weinstein presented her with three scripts for his next three movies which he would let her star in, only if she had three-way sex with him. She fled the hotel, she told the NYT.

Dunning is a former actress turned costume designer best known for her role in Alias: The Roughest Cut (2006).

Tomi-Ann Roberts

The aspiring actress was 24 when she met Weinstein while serving tables as a college junior in 1984. She says he told her to meet him at his home. When she arrived, she says, he was naked in the bath and told her she would give a better audition if she was nude. She says she refused and left, reports the NYT.

Tomi-Ann Roberts was 24 when she met Weinstein while serving tables

Katherine Kendall

The Swingers actress was told Weinstein had to stop off in his apartment to pick something up after a screening in 1993.

He changed into a bathrobe and told her to massage her, she said. When she resisted she said the mogul returned naked and chased her, reports the NYT.

Kendall, 48, is an American actress from Tennessee. She made her name in Doug Liman's Swingers (1996).

Kendall, 48, was told Weinstein had to stop off in his apartment to pick something up after a screening in 1993

Lucia Evans

The actress, formerly known as Lucia Stoller claims Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004. Speaking to the New Yorker, she said that she suffered years of trauma after the incident which occurred in a 'casting meeting' in a Miramax office in Manhattan. He reportedly called her late at night after the incident.

Mira Sorvino

The Mighty Aphrodite actress told the New Yorker that Weinstein tried to massage her in a hotel room at the 1995 Toronto International Film Festival.

He then went to her home in the middle of the night but she called a male friend to protect her, she claimed. She said turning down the mogul adversely affected her career.

Sorovino, 50, is an American actress who came to prominence after winning the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as a hooker with a heart of gold in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995).

Mira Sorvino (pictured starring in Intruders in 2014) said Weinstein tried to massage her in a hotel room

Rosanna Arquette

The actress also said her career suffered after she rebuffed Weinstein's advances in the early 1990s. At a hotel meeting he tried to put her hand on his erect penis, she claims in the New Yorker.

Rosanna Arquette, 58, is an American actress, film director, and producer. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in the 1982 TV film The Executioner's Song.

Rose McGowan

The actress, who made her breakthrough in 1996 in the Weinstein-produced slasher revival movie Scream, reportedly sued Weinstein after he assaulted her in 1997 at the Sundance Film Festival.

She signed a non-disclosure agreement at the close of the suit and has only referred to him obliquely in social media since. On Sunday she referred to being abused by a 'monster' and has previously referred to being raped by a studio head.

Producer Harvey Weinstein (left) and actress Rose McGowan arrive to the premiere of "Grindhouse" at the Orpheum Theatre on March 26, 2007 in Los Angeles

Ashley Judd

Judd says that during filming for 1997 thriller Kiss the Girls Weinstein repeatedly asked her to watch him shower.

She was one of the women who spoke out to The New York Times this week, saying: 'Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it's simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly.'

Judd says that during filming for 1997 thriller Kiss the Girls Weinstein repeatedly asked her to watch him shower

Emma De Caunes

French actress Emma de Caunes said that she met Weinstein in 2010. Soon after he told her he had a script he was producing based on a book with a strong female character. Weinstein offered to show her the script, and asked her up to his room at the Ritz in Paris, where he began to take a shower.

He then emerged naked and with an erection, asking her to lay down with him on the bed and telling her that many had done so before, she told the New Yorker. 'I was very petrified,' said de Caunes. 'But I didn’t want to show him that I was petrified, because I could feel that the more I was freaking out, the more he was excited.'

French actress Emma de Caunes said that she met Weinstein in 2010 and he invited her to his room

Lauren O'Connor

The former creative executive at The Weinstein Company, told executives there in the fall of 2015 that there was 'a toxic environment for women at this company' after one of her colleagues told her that Weinstein had pressured her into massaging him while he was naked, the NYT reported.

A former creative executive at The Weinstein Company told executives there in the fall of 2015 that there was 'a toxic environment for women at this company'

Ambra Battilana

The Italian actress and model, 24, told the NYT that in March 2015 Weinstein invited her to his New York office. There, she said, he asked if her breasts were real before grabbing them and putting his hands up her skirt. She reported the alleged incident to police, but they did not press charges. According to the NYT, Weinstein later paid her off.

Italian actress and model Ambra Battilana, 24, alleges that Weinstein grabbed her breasts and put his hand up her skirt

Weinstein reportedly pressured the actress to give him a naked massage in the Peninsula Hotel in 2011.

Jessica Barth, 39, is an American stage and film actress, known for portraying Tami-Lynn McCaferty in the film Ted and its sequel.

Laura Madden

A former production assistant and the Weinstein company, she told the NYT that Weinstein had asked her to give him massages from 1991 onwards, while they were both in London and Dublin. 'It was so manipulative,' she told the NYT. 'You constantly question yourself - am I the one who is the problem?' Weinstein denied knowledge.

Emily Nestor

Nestor was a temporary employee of the Weinstein Company for just one day in 2014 when Weinstein approached her and offered to boost her career in exchange for sex, the NYT reported.

Zelda Perkins

Perkins was an assistant of Weinstein's based in London. Aged 25 in 1998, she reportedly confronted Weinstein after she and 'several' others were harassed and later settled out of court.

She said she was subjected to inappropriate requests or comments in hotel rooms.

Zelda Perkins reportedly confronted Weinstein after she and 'several' others were harassed and later settled out of court

Elizabeth Karlsen

Produced Karlsen told The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday that almost 30 years ago an unnamed young female executive who had worked at Miramax with Weinstein had found him naked in her bedroom one night. The exec was in a house rented by Miramax at the time to cut its overheads.

Karlsen, 57, is the Oscar-nominated British producer of Carol and The Crying Game.

Liza Campbell

A freelance script reader, she told the UK's Sunday Times that Weinstein had summoned her to his hotel room in London before telling her to get in the bath with him.

Campbell, 58, is an artist, calligrapher, columnist and writer, born in the north of Scotland and currently living in London, England.

Campbell, 58, (pictured in 2004) said that Weinstein had summoned her to his hotel room in London

Lauren Sivan

The former Fox news host said that Weinstein trapped her in a closed restaurant and masturbated in front of her to completion in 2007.

He allegedly took her to a closed restaurant beneath a club she had visited and attempted to kiss her, then when she refused he cornered her and made her watch him touch himself, according to The Huffington Post.

Sivan is now a TV reporter in Los Angeles and was a local journalist in New York 10 years ago when her encounter with Weinstein allegedly occurred.

Former Fox news host Lauren Sivan said that Weinstein trapped her in a closed restaurant and masturbated in front of her to completion in 2007

Jessica Hynes

Hynes said she was invited to audition for Weinstein when she was 19 - in a bikini. She said she refused to wear the skimpy item - and lost the job.

British actress Hynes, 44, formally known as Jessica Stevenson, is best known for her roles in the Bridget Jones movies and for co-creating and co-writing the sitcom Spaced.

Jessica Hynes said she was invited to audition for Weinstein when she was 19 - in a bikini. She said she refused to wear the skimpy item - and lost the job

Romola Garai

British actress Romola Garai said she felt 'violated' following a meeting with Harvey Weinstein in his London hotel room when she was 18 in which he was in a bathrobe.

Garai, best known for her role in Atonement, said she had already been hired for a part but was told to audition privately with the Hollywood mogul because 'you had to be personally approved by him'.

'Like every other woman in the industry, I've had an 'audition' with Harvey Weinstein,' she told The Guardian. 'So I had to go to his hotel room in the Savoy and he answered the door in his bathrobe. I was only 18. I felt violated by it'.

Garai, 35, is an English actress, writer, and director. She is known for appearing in the films Amazing Grace, Atonement, and Glorious 39.

British actress Romola Garai said she felt 'violated' following a meeting with Harvey Weinstein in his London hotel room when she was 18

Florence Darel

French actress Florence Darel has claimed that she was harassed by the producer in 1993.

Darel, 49, who first came to notice in Eric Rohmer's 'A Tale of Springtime' in 1990, told French media that Weinstein had promised to help make her big in America if she became his 'part-time' mistress.

She said she first had to beat off his advances after Weinstein's company Miramax bought the 1993 fashion industry comedy 'A la mode' in which she appeared.

The following year, pushed by her agent, she agreed to meet Weinstein in a Paris hotel, where he he asked her to be his mistress 'a few days a year'.

Actress Florence Darel, 49, revealed on Thursday to French media that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein had promised to help make her big in America if she became his 'part-time' mistress

Unnamed assistant

Weinstein allegedly behaved inappropriately toward a woman employed as his assistant in 1990. The case was settled out of court.

Another unnamed assistant

In 2015, Weinstein reportedly pressured another assistant into giving him a naked massage in the Peninsula Hotel, where he is also said to have pressured Barth.

Unnamed Miramax employee

At one point in the early 1990s, a young woman is alleged to have suddenly left the company after an encounter with Weinstein. She also settled out of court.

Unnamed woman

A woman who did not wish to be named because she feared Weinstein's connections told The New York Times that the producer had summoned her to his hotel at an unknown date and raped her.